HISTORY OF THE MCC

The MCC was founded February 19, 1952 in response to citizens’ and civic leaders’ outrage with abundant crime and corruption in the New Orleans area.  A Board of Directors comprised of a cross section of community leaders has guided the Crime Commission throughout our history. 

In the course of the MCC’s more than 50 years of operation, we have had the honor operating under the leadership of three Managing Directors / Presidents:

Aaron Kohn; Managing Director from 1954 to 1978
Warren DeBrueys; Managing Director from 1979 to 1989
Rafael Goyeneche III; Managing Director/President from 1989 to present

Since our inception, the MCC has been involved in a broad range of activities pursuant to our mission.  Through our sources, investigations, and research, we have uncovered numerous instances of corruption.  We have been influential in the passage and adoption of a variety of legislative initiatives such as advocating for harsher penalties for felons with firearms, passage of the Organized Control Act of 1970, and requiring public officials convicted of felonies to be removed from office.  The MCC has also participated in the genesis of public agencies and community movements, and provided accountability that has shaped operations of public entities.

In 2005, the MCC expanded into the Baton Rouge area and established a toll free hotline that now covers the entire state of Louisiana.

We remain ever vigilant our fight against government waste and corruption.  Presented below is a brief sample of some of our cases since the official inception of our Anti-Public Corruption program in 1993.  Many of the more recent cases handled by the MCC are highly sensitive in nature or are ongoing and awaiting final disposition.  These represent only a few of our more high-profile cases.

top 2005     2004     2003     2002     2001     2000
1999     1998     1997     1996     1995     1994     1993

2005

New Orleans City Attorney Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Violation
Henry Dillon III, a former Deputy City Attorney/Prosecutor for the City of New Orleans, was accused of raping a young woman after luring her into his office by offering to help her with a municipal citation.  The victim and her family came to the MCC concerned that politically connected Mr. Dillon would not be successfully prosecuted in the state criminal justice system.  The MCC conducted a preliminary investigation and filed a report with the FBI and U.S. Attorney.  The MCC urged federal officials to charge Mr. Dillon with civil rights violations.  He was ultimately prosecuted for felony civil rights violations against multiple victims.  This case is the first time that this law/statute was used in a rape case in the Eastern District of Louisiana.  The investigation revealed at least five additional victims, establishing Henry Dillon as a serial rapist that the MCC helped, in part, to remove from the community.

MCC Tip Solves Bank Robberies, Armored Car Robbery, Shooting
Based upon a tip from a reliable MCC informant, five individuals were arrested for participating in a spree of robberies including four bank robberies, an armored car robbery, and a robbery in which a woman was shot with an AK-47.  The informant notified the MCC of the suspects’ identities, whereabouts, and direct involvement in these crimes.  The MCC provided the tip to the appropriate authorities who executed arrests against these violent criminals.

Harahan Captain Implicated in Ticket-Fixing / Overtime Fraud
The MCC brought to light that Harahan Police Captain Joseph Schaub had been receiving overtime compensation to deliver tickets to Jefferson Parish and New Orleans prosecutors to have them fixed.  When the MCC’s inquiry became known, the Captain refunded the overtime compensation and implicated the Harahan Police Chief.  Captain Schaub alleges that the overtime was approved by his superiors and his superiors gave him orders to deliver the tickets for fixing.  This case has been presented to local prosecutors.

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2004

Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney Fired for Extortion
Tanzanika Q. Ruffin, an Assistant District Attorney in Orleans Parish, was fired after an MCC investigation documented her involvement in an attempt to extort money from a New Orleans couple.  A local handyman attempted to over-bill the couple for work.  When the couple refused to pay, Ms. Ruffin, who is a friend of the handyman, got involved and demanded the payment of an extra $1,000 fee, allegedly for the District Attorney’s Office.  The couple contacted the MCC, and the investigative report and evidence was presented to the District Attorney who promptly fired Ms. Ruffin.

New Orleans Police Department Officer Resigns Amid Payroll Fraud Investigation
An anonymous informant contacted the MCC reporting that NOPD Lieutenant Kenneth Harris had fraudulently requested and received overtime pay.  Lieutenant Harris was accused of claiming to have worked overtime while he was receiving advanced training at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia.  After the MCC filed a complaint alleging payroll fraud with the NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau, he resigned his position while under investigation by the department.  The MCC also notified the FBI, and Harris was placed into a Federal Diversion program for first offenders.

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2003

New Orleans Police Department Crime Downgrading Scandal
After an initial report filed by the MCC, NOPD Chief of Police Edwin Compass invited the MCC to participate in an investigation of downgrading reported crimes in the NOPD’s 1st District.  The investigation revealed that 42% of crimes reported in the 1st District were downgraded.  Five NOPD officers, including the 1st District Commander, were terminated as a result of the investigation.  The MCC called for a thorough examination of crime downgrading throughout the entire department, but NOPD Chief Edwin Compass refused expansion of the investigation.  In the end, the five officers appealed their terminations and were reinstated with the NOPD, and, although the problem of downgrading crime statistics was proven, the full extent of crime downgrading continues to be unknown.

Causeway Law Enforcement Bridge Toll Pass Scandal
Tips to the MCC and subsequent investigation revealed that a substantial number of individuals had forged public documents claiming that they were law enforcement officers in order to illegally receive free passage on the Causeway Bridge.  Louisiana law allows for full-time, paid law enforcement officers with arrest powers to drive across the Causeway Bridge free of charge 24 hours a day whether on or off duty.  As a result of this MCC investigation, numerous arrests have been made and the Causeway has seen a decrease in the number of applications for free law enforcement passes worth approximately $200,000 per year.  Some of the more notable arrests in this case include Executive Director of the Crescent City Connection Alan Levasseuer, City of Harahan Director of Code Enforcement Jeffery Charlet, and politically connected East Jefferson Levee District Field Forman Richard Arnoult.  Convictions from this case are ongoing.

Harahan Police Department Election Campaign Fraud
As a direct result of a tips received by the MCC, Ray Uloth, a former police officer and candidate running for Chief of Police in Harahan, was indicted on two counts of violating Louisiana campaign finance laws.  Mr. Uloth’s campaign manager owned a construction company and told 10 of his employees that he would reimburse their donations if they each contributed $400 to the campaign.  One of the employees contacted the MCC complaining about the illicit donations.  The MCC investigated the case and forwarded the findings to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office who filed charges against Mr. Uloth.  Mr. Uloth ultimately finished last in the election and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with his campaign spending.

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2002

Uniformed New Orleans Police Officer Appears in Sexually Explicit Film
The MCC received a videotape from an anonymous tipster showing NOPD Sergeant Bruce Little in a sexually explicit film while wearing his police uniform.  Two other officers, Dan McMullen Jr. and Jeff Jacob, also appeared in plainclothes in the adult film.  The three officers were recorded while working a paid police detail providing security for the film production.  All three officers received suspensions and the NOPD revised its policy regarding film production security details as a result of this MCC case.

New Orleans City Hall Corruption Crackdown
Shortly after taking office, Mayor Ray Nagin enlisted the assistance of the MCC’s Anti-Public Corruption Program in his efforts to combat corruption in New Orleans City Hall.  The MCC recorded in excess of 600 reports of corruption in New Orleans government that were forwarded to the FBI, U.S. Attorney, and NOPD task force.  Some of the more common corruption and bribery complaints related to issuing city contracts, permits, licenses, and city brake tags.  This investigation resulted in numerous convictions and resignations while under investigation.

Louisiana State Trooper Indicted for Sexual Battery
Based on a report from the MCC, Louisiana State Trooper Python Brown was arrested for committing sexual battery against a woman he had pulled over for speeding and DWI.  Trooper Brown told the woman that he would not arrest her for DWI if she had sex with him.  The woman complied with trooper’s demands and later came to the MCC seeking assistance in pursuing charges against Trooper Brown.  Trooper Brown lost his position with the Louisiana State Troopers and pled guilty to charges of malfeasance in office.

West Jefferson Levee District Commissioner Removed Based on MCC Complaint
West Jefferson Levee District Commissioner Ronald Jones solicited several individuals to form a corporation so that he could steer a multi-million dollar contract to their newly formed company.  One of the individuals approached by Mr. Jones contacted the MCC wanting to stop Mr. Jones’ unscrupulous activities.  The MCC forwarded the complaint to the Louisiana Office of Inspector General, and Governor Mike Foster subsequently removed Mr. Jones from his position with the levee district commission.

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2001

Jefferson Parish Planning Board Member Resigns Amid MCC Investigation
Upon learning about an MCC investigation into his efforts to have land rezoned for his personal benefit, Mike Collura resigned his position with the Jefferson Parish Planning Board.  Mr. Collura proposed measures that would have rezoned property adjacent to his and enabled a billboard to be erected on Mr. Collura’s land.  Without the rezoning of the adjacent land, the billboard could not be erected.  When the MCC forwarded its investigation report to the Jefferson Parish President, Mr. Collura resigned and the rezoning ordinance was terminated.

Westwego Councilman Fined for Ethics Violation
The MCC received a tip and conducted an investigation, which found that Westwego Councilman Melvin Guidry had been selling items to the city through his private employer.  The MCC turned its report over to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, and Mr. Guidry was found to be in violation of three sections of the Code of Governmental Ethics.  The State Board of Ethics fined Mr. Guidry $1,500 for his violations.

St. Tammany, Covington Fire Chief Dismissed in Payroll Scandal
Randy Piwets, Chief of the Covington Area Fire Prevention District No. 12, was fired as the MCC investigated accusations of payroll fraud within the department.  Allegedly, full-time firefighters had been paying volunteer firefighters to work their shifts but were paying the volunteers less than they were being paid and pocketing the difference.  Chief Piwets was also accused of using a fire department vehicle to attend an out of state NASCAR race and accepting free admission tickets to the racetrack infield.  A vendor who recently sold apparatus to the fire department provided the free tickets to Chief Piwets.

St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested for Coercing Motorist Into Taking Nude Photograph
Based upon an MCC investigation, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Carroll Pete Thibodeaux was arrested for coercing a woman to allow him to take a photograph of her breasts in exchange for not arresting her for DWI.  Individuals close to the case contacted the MCC, because the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office initially handled this case as an administrative matter and allowed Deputy Thibodaux to resign his position with the Sheriff’s office.  After the MCC filed a report, the St. Charles Parish District Attorney initiated prosecution against Deputy Thibodeaux who pled guilty to charges of criminal mischief in 2002.

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2000

Overt Racism Results in New Leadership for Causeway Police Department
The MCC obtained and released a videotape showing Causeway Police Department Major Ronald Guagliardo using racial slurs and coaching officers on how to beat complaints of civil rights violations.  In response to the video, Major Guagliardo was fired from his position after working 17 years for the Causeway Police Department.  Subsequently, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee sympathized with Major Guagliardo and hired him to work for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.  Five weeks later, after broad public outcry, Major Guagliardo resigned his position with Sheriff Lee.  In the midst of the fallout from the racist conduct of Major Guagliardo, Causeway Police Chief Timothy Fondren resigned his position.  Shortly thereafter, General Manager Hunter Wagner also left his position with the Causeway Commission.

St. Tammany Parish Pyramid Scheme
The MCC uncovered the widespread involvement of St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies in a pyramid scheme called the “Friend and Family Private Gifting Program.”  Ultimately, 49 deputies, including four high-ranking officers, were disciplined for participating in the scheme.  Officers who had benefited from the pyramid scheme donated their gains, about $100,000, to charity.

MCC Uncovers Convicted Felon and Nepotism in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court
The MCC found that Criminal District Court Judge Charles Elloie had an individual with more than 40 felony convictions working for him in his section of Criminal District Court.  In addition, his wife, Charmaine Haydel Elloie was working as his minute clerk.  The MCC referred this case to the Judiciary Commission and Judge Elloie’s wife was removed from her position in Criminal District Court.

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1999

Delgado Community College Dean Resigns Amid MCC Investigation
At the conclusion of a four-month MCC investigation into mismanagement and inappropriate behavior of Delgado officials, long-time Dean of Delgado Community College’s West Bank Facility J. Berengher Brechtel resigned his position after nearly 20 years with the college.  The investigation uncovered accusations of sexual harassment and misuse of Delgado’s resources for personal benefit.

Unraveling the Canal Street Cartel
Tips provided to the MCC resulted in two New Orleans area attorneys, Richard A. Cuccia and Thomas L. Grand, pleading guilty to felony federal charges of mail fraud, tax evasion, and failure to report a felony (misprison).  These two attorneys were involved in the “Canal Street Cartel,” which comprised a sophisticated ring of attorneys and runners.  The attorneys hired runners to go to the scene of car accidents to solicit clients and refer accident victims to sympathetic medical clinics.  In addition to these convictions, dozens of runners were arrested who subsequently provided the information needed to obtain convictions against the attorneys.

New Orleans Police Department Recants Officer Commendations,
Gives Suspensions
A tip to the MCC disproved two NOPD officers’, Officer Daniel Chauvin, Jr. and Brian Danigole, claim that they rescued a woman who had driven her car into the Morrison Road Canal in New Orleans East.  The NOPD awarded the officers gold medals and $500 savings bonds as awards for their claimed heroics.  However, the NOPD took back the medals and savings bonds and gave the officers nine-day suspensions based upon evidence that informant provided to the MCC showing that the officers arrived at the scene after a civilian had rescued the accident victim.

Harahan Police Officer Fired for Selling Body Armor
Based upon a tip from the MCC, Harahan Police Officer Wiley Wood, IV was disciplined and Harahan Reserve Police Officer Lloyd Alphonso was fired for helping local rap artist Percy “Master P” Miller purchase 10 police body armor vests.  With the use of Officer Wood’s law enforcement credential and Mr. Alphonso acting as a broker, Mr. Miller secured a nearly fifty percent discount on the vests.  Officer Wood and Mr. Alphonso shared approximately $2,000 in profit from the sale to Mr. Miller.

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1998

New Orleans Police Department Deputy Chief Reprimanded for
Falsifying Expenditures
An MCC informant reported that Deputy Chief Ronal Serpas and Lieutenant Thomas Smegal had sought and obtained falsified invoices in their previous assignments within the mounted patrol division.  Chief Serpas was censured for his role in soliciting fake invoices for horse feed.  These fake invoices enabled the officers to use the department’s monies to purchase other, unapproved equipment for the mounted unit.  Lieutenant Smegal received a three day suspension.

New Orleans Police Department Record Room Scandal Leads to Convictions
An MCC investigative report turned over to the FBI led to six NOPD record room clerks and two proprietors of Spee-Dee Police Reports being convicted of federal charges.  In this case, Spee-Dee Police Reports routinely bribed employees of the NOPD record room in order to receive police reports.  Employees received bribes ranging from designer pens to a Toyota Camry.  The FBI investigation into the case found that the city was defrauded out of at least $70,000.

MCC Complaint Results in Arrest of Charles Elloie, Jr.
A victim of theft contacted the MCC to report that Charles Elloie, Jr, the son of a Criminal District Court Judge, had stolen from him.  The victim informed the MCC that Mr. Elloie met him in traffic court and offered to fix a ticket for the victim.  Mr. Elloie took the victim’s traffic citation to a desk in the rear of the court, returned, and told the victim that he expected compensation for his assistance, which the victim paid.  The victim later learned that the ticket had not been fixed and reported the theft to the MCC.  Mr. Elloie was subsequently arrested and convicted.

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1997

New Orleans Fire Department Changes Hiring Policies in
Response to MCC Inquiry
After receiving an MCC inquiry into the thoroughness of background checks for New Orleans firefighters, the City of New Orleans broadened their evaluation of Fire Department applicants’ criminal histories.  After New Orleans firefighter David Mahler was arrested for second degree murder, the MCC learned that the Fire Department looked only at potential fire recruits’ conviction histories in a limited number of jurisdictions.  The MCC wrote to the City of New Orleans’ Office of Municipal Investigations asking them to review this procedure, and the city adopted procedures looking into recruits’ arrests, convictions, and employment histories.  In immediate response to this new procedure, 16 prospective recruits were eliminated from consideration.

Tip to MCC Provides Information in New Orleans Police Department Officers’ Drug Dealing Operations
An anonymous informant contacted the MCC and provided information that led to the arrest and conviction of two corrupt NOPD Officers, David and Ron Singleton.  This tip contributed to the case against officers David and Ron Singleton that culminated into federal charges of drug distribution and money-laundering.  Both officers pled guilty to drug trafficking in connection with a cocaine ring run by Richard Pena and were given lengthy prison sentences.  David Singleton admitted to apprehending a rival drug dealer and delivering him to Richard Pena, and each of the officers provided testimony in cases against other members of the drug distribution network.

Molester’s Probation Revoked After MCC Complaint
A tip to the MCC and subsequent MCC investigation led to the arrest of a convicted child molester for parole violations.  In this case, a concerned citizen contacted the MCC seeking to remain anonymous.  The citizen reported that the molester was living in close proximity to two schools with his parents, in direct contradiction to the orders of his parole release.  The MCC conducted an investigation, which verified the molester’s improper residence and forwarded the findings to the parole board.  In response, the parole board revoked the pedophile’s probation.

Suspended Lawyer Arrested Based Upon MCC Referral
The MCC notified the Orleans Parish District Attorney that Jose Castro continued practicing law after his license was suspended, and Mr. Castro was arrested for his ongoing illicit law practice.  Mr. Castro’s law license had previously been suspended, because he was convicted of insurance fraud.  During the suspension of his license, the MCC learned, Mr. Castro continued to provide services as an attorney which resulted in his arrest for practicing law under a suspended license and illegally paying to solicit a client.

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1996

MCC Complaint Leads to Ethics Fine for Head of New Orleans City
Property Management
The MCC received a tip alleging that Kerry DeCay, Director of the New Orleans Department of Property Management, had a city employee use city-owned materials perform work at his home while being paid by the city.  The MCC forwarded the report to the city’s Office of Municipal Investigation, which led to formal charges being filed by the Louisiana Board of Ethics.  In 1998, Mr. DeCay pled guilty to two state ethics violations and was fined $1,500.

Causeway Overhauls Ticket Writing System After MCC
Uncovers Ticket Fixing
A former employee of the Causeway Police Department reported a problem with ticket fixing to the MCC and presented bags of shredded tickets as proof of this practice.  In the course of the MCC’s investigation into the ticket fixing accusation, the MCC found that there was poor accountability for tickets written by Causeway Police that made it easy to conceal when tickets were shredded rather than forwarded to court for prosecution.  In response to the MCC’s findings, the Causeway implemented a new ticket writing system which better documented tickets and made it more difficult to resolve traffic citations outside of official channels.

Orleans Criminal District Court Judge Censured for Seeking Leniency
for Convicted Mobster
An MCC complaint to the Judiciary Commission lead to the public censure of Criminal District Court Judge Frank Marullo.  When reputed mobster Anthony Carollo was convicted of racketeering, Judge Marullo wrote a letter seeking leniency from the judge sentencing Mr. Carollo.  The MCC learned of Judge Marullo’s request and filed a complaint with the Louisiana Judiciary Commission.  The Judiciary Commission found Judge Marullo in violation of Supreme Court rules and publicly censured him for his misconduct.

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1995

Ranking Officer Interferes with New Orleans Police Department
Internal Investigation
An anonymous complaint to the MCC revealed that a ranking NOPD officer had compromised an internal investigation.  In this case, an NOPD supervisor was working with a DEA investigation of an NOPD officer.  A ranking officer forced the supervisor to reveal the target of the investigation.  Very shortly after the ranking officer was told the name of the officer targeted in the investigation, the case was found to be compromised.  It was suspected that the target became aware that he was being investigated.  After the MCC became involved and uncovered what had occurred, the ranking officer was relieved of his command.

St. Charles Parish Employee Flooding Neighbor’s Land
A homeowner in St. Charles Parish called the MCC to report that her home regularly flooded when it rained.  She had reported the problem to her councilman who refused to assist her.  The MCC investigation found that her neighbor, a St. Charles Parish employee, was using a parish-owned pump to pump rainwater onto her property to prevent his property from flooding.  After the MCC reported the problem to the appropriate authorities, the parish took the pump from the neighbor’s house and the St. Charles Parish employee was disciplined.

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1994

Head of the New Orleans Police Department Inspections Bureau
Charged with Battery
Lieutenant Christopher Maurice, former head of the NOPD’s inspections divisions, was prosecuted for simple battery after the MCC appealed to the New Orleans District Attorney to press charges.  Lt. Maurice, whose official job duties included enforcing NOPD policies, was accused of battery against a local radio personality and given a municipal summons for the offense.  A New Orleans Municipal Court Judge threw out the charges against Lt. Maurice.  After the case was thrown out of municipal court, the MCC conducted a follow-up investigation and filed a complaint with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office alleging additional victims and violations.  The District Attorney accepted charges against Lt. Maurice, who was convicted of simple battery and released from the NOPD. 

MCC Concerns Halt Judge’s Pursuit of Federal Bench
After the MCC raised questions about Orleans Parish Traffic Court Judge Terry Alarcon’s alleged part ownership of a gambling company, the Judge withdrew himself from consideration to an appointment as a Federal Judge.  Prior to the MCC expressing concerns, Judge Alarcon had been recommended for the judgeship by Louisiana’s two Senators and appeared likely to be strongly considered for the position.

Second Judge Rescinds Candidacy for Federal Judgeship
After Ms. Dale Atkins, Clerk of Criminal Court in Orleans Parish, was recommended for a federal district judgeship, the MCC wrote a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Commission expressing concern over Ms. Atkins’ ethics.  Ms. Atkins’ brother was a three-time convicted felon who was being prosecuted for yet another felony.  Ms. Atkins contacted the District Attorney’s Office asking that her brother not be prosecuted as a multiple offender.  The MCC regarded this as an undue application of Ms. Atkins’ authority and power as a political figure that presented significant ethical concerns regarding her potential judgeship.  After the MCC made these concerns public, Ms. Atkins withdrew herself from consideration for the judgeship citing that she was too young for the position.

Officers Suspended Over Unlicensed Security Business
NOPD Major Ronal Serpas and Sergeant Harry Mendoza were suspended when an investigation based upon an MCC complaint found that they were operating a private security business without an occupational license.  The security business provided off-duty New Orleans Police Officers for private security and was operating without the knowledge or permission of the department.

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1993

New Orleans Police Department Deputy Chief Fired Due to
Gambling Interests
An MCC investigation uncovered that the NOPD’s second-in-command, Deputy Chief Antoine Saacks, had a business relationship with United Gaming, a Las Vegas gambling company.  The MCC investigation also found that Chief Saacks had traveled to Las Vegas with a convicted felon to establish a business relationship with United Gaming and allowed his subordinates to lobby the Louisiana Legislature in favor of video poker.  Based upon MCC complaints, Chief Saacks was suspended, demoted, and ultimately forcible separated from his employment with the NOPD.  Because of their involvement with Chief Saacks, United Gaming was placed under investigation in several states.  Publicity from this case led to United Gaming changing their name to Alliance Gaming and undergoing significant changes in company leadership.

New Orleans Police Department Fails to Return Recovered Stolen
Cars to Owners
A tip to the MCC and follow-up investigation found that NOPD Officers were facilitating the department’s inappropriate seizure of stolen automobiles.  A New Orleans city ordinance allowed the NOPD to take ownership of recovered automobiles when the cars’ owners could not be located.  It was found that the NOPD had made poor efforts to locate the owners of recovered stolen cars.  The MCC uncovered 17 cars worth $250,000 that were illegally seized by the department.  In some instances, owners of recovered vehicles had contacted the NOPD asking if their cars had been found and were told that their automobiles had not been located.  In response to this case, the city ordinance allowing this practice was amended and the NOPD adopted procedural changes to ensure stronger efforts to locate the owners of recovered vehicles.

MCC Halts Improper Customs Commission for Levee Board Aide
A letter from the MCC to the U.S. Customs Office resulted in Ray Namias having his commission with the customs agency revoked.  The President of the Levee Board asked U.S. Customs to grant Mr. Namias a commission, although U.S. Customs commissions are only supposed to be granted to sworn law enforcement officers.  Mr. Namias was not a law enforcement officer but was granted the commission.  In response, the MCC wrote a letter of complaint to U.S. Customs regarding Mr. Namias’ commission.  The U.S. Customs commission of Mr. Namias was revoked, and Mr. Namias was ordered to stay away from the Levvee Board police force for exceeding his civilian authority.